


As close as I can

by Ereana



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, Friendship, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 22:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3094721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ereana/pseuds/Ereana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having a crush is awkward. Having a crush when your the school delinquent is even harder, Having a crush when your the school delinquent and it's on the student councillor who believes in you is much worse.</p><p>Whatever happens Kuroo is sure of two things; that Sawamura-sensei didn't play fair and that it was all probably Bokuto's fault anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As close as I can

“Dude I think the teachers are going to notice.”

“You never know, the way some of them teach they just might miss what’s right in front of them.”

“True. But someone is going to notice that your hand has been replaced by a white club made of bandages.”

“D’you think they’ll buy an unfortunate hand transplant gone wrong?”

“Of course not! Who would trade their hand for something so stupid? Surely it would be a laser or something cooler if that happened.”

“Hmm.” Kuroo rubbed his chin with his normal, bandage-free hand. He couldn’t have looked deeper in thought if he was one those ancient Greek philosophers Bokuto vaguely remembered hearing about last week. “What if I say there’s a laser under all the bandages?”

“That could work.” Bokuto conceded. “But they’re still gonna ask what happened.” He paused as Kuroo hissed and ran tentative fingers over the encased appendage. “What did happen?”

“I decided it would be fun to punch a wall.” Kuroo said, shooting a glare at a couple of inquisitive looking second years passing by. Fuck. His hand was really sore. Bokuto raised an unimpressed eyebrow and set down the first aid supplies he’d borrowed from the nurse.

“Ok, first of all that tone is not helping and second of all if you don’t tell me I may have to go see a certain school councillor.” Any remaining colour in Kuroo’s face drained away and Bokuto felt a stab of guilt before pushing it away. Sometimes bros just had to be ruthless.

One of the bandage ends was hanging loose, Kuroo busied himself by tugging it; reluctant to answer but even more terrified of Bokuto carrying through on his threat. And it was a threat no doubt about that. Kuroo could already see big brown eyes looking at him with disappointment and a mild frown in place of a patient smile. Sometimes he hated his best friend.

“It was those assholes in my history class alright. Decided it would be fun to bully some of the kids from the middle school down the road.” Bokuto blinked, hands stilling in surprise before shaking his head in exasperation. “You would’ve done the same thing Bo.”

“Probably, but I’m not the one with a club hand. So what are you going to tell the student body?” Kuroo shrugged and started to pull on his school jersey, well the one he’d badgered a friend into modifying.

“I don’t know. They’ll usually just accept I was in a fight and caused it by setting fire to my victim’s houses. Hmm, guess I haven’t used the gang excuse in a while.”

“Despite that being a promising statement,” both teenagers froze, “I’m pretty sure lunch is over.” 

It was still an odd feeling to Kuroo; having his stomach drop while his heart flew up and lodged itself in his throat. He could practically feel the confidence and smoothness wither inside of him as Sawamura-sensei stepped into view. The man’s shirt sleeves were pushed up over impressive biceps, glasses slightly askew and his tie was loose today. The whole effect was one of casual ease and Kuroo quickly added it to the ‘outfits-that-Sawamura-sensei-looks-good-in’ list, a list which was becoming worryingly long when it became apparent that there wasn’t much the school councillor looked bad in. Apart from that one disastrous Halloween costume last year, whoever told him going as a crow would be a good idea deserved to be punished; and no he wasn’t upset about not seeing Sawamura-sensei in something more attractive than the dad outfits he wore to school yet somehow still looked amazing in. Oh and there was that one time he wore a tie that not even Kuroo could excuse. He belatedly saw the stack of folders and papers in his arms and wondered what new seemingly impossible task the eager councillor had taken on this time.

Bokuto laughed and bounced up and down on his toes, looking every inch the overgrown five year old he was. “I’ll move soon sensei. Just have to make sure this idiot’s han-” Kuroo used his perfectly good hand to dig his fist into his traitorous friend’s back, the middle knuckle stuck out for that added extra bit of pain, “-dsome porcupine can play the trombone!” Bokuto finished with a yelp.

The other two blinked at him. A similar bewildered look on their faces though Kuroo’s soon faded to exasperation. 

“Sorry about him sensei, I think this morning’s mathematics class was too much for his poor brain.” Ignoring the offended “Hey!” to his left he put on his best ‘helpful well-behaved student’ smile and prayed that his blush wasn’t as noticeable as he’d been told it was. “And I have a free period next.”

“Is that so? Well the- damn!” 

Several of the papers had slipped off the pile and landed on the ground with a clatter. Before his brain even had time to scream at him the many reasons not to move he had stepped forward. He was pretty sure he heard Bokuto snigger behind him but he was far too focused on the gaze he could feel staring down at his head while he gathered the fallen papers. He stood up with a grin, the kind that sent most of his teachers to high alert because they knew that the delinquent was up to something, but Sawamura-sensei only looked bemused; a slight frown in between his eyebrows and his eyes were grateful rather than suspicious.

“And since I have a free period why don’t I carry these for you? Wouldn’t do to see the reliable sensei floundering with a pile of folders taller than him now would it?” Despite the ease of his tone and posture there was something a little too eager about his words. He held onto the paperss in his hands with a tight grip, as if he refused to let them be pried from his fingers.

The councillor’s face darkened at the dig against his height and Kuroo was sure he heard a mumbled comment about giants with terrible hair but he was more interested in the answer to his question. A part of him knew it would be better for Sawamura-sensei to refuse and send him on his way to the library where he could finally start work on that literature essay he needed to do. Unfortunately, the larger part of him was sat on his hind legs with big sad puppy eyes hoping for a yes. Maybe the man caught a glimpse of it because he shook his head in defeat 

“Alright. I need to take these to my office. I know I don’t need to show you the way.” Bokuto laughed and Kuroo swore revenge on his friend. Ever since Sawamura-san had taken over from their previous councillor last year Kuroo had spent just as much time in that small office on the second floor as he did in the classroom.

“I’m hurt sensei, it’s almost like you don’t enjoy our meetings.”

“I’d probably enjoy them more if you didn’t come with a long note from your teacher explaining how you were disrupting the class that time.” Kuroo tried and failed not to beam at the implication that his visits were enjoyed by the other, even if only a little. “Come one then, and Bokuto please get to class.”

“Aye! Aye! Captain!”

Why had he been cursed with this annoyance? What had he done in a past life to deserve this? Shooting a glare at Bokuto he followed Sawamura-sensei inside, grateful that his best friend had waited until then to wink at him in the most juvenile obvious way possible.

The hallways were still bustling with pupils on their way to class and Kuroo had to stretch to his full height to keep track of the dark head of hair walking towards the stairs. Quickening his pace and ignoring the grumbles from his fellow students he soon caught up.

There was an entirely legitimate reason for Kuroo walking behind Sawamura-sensei. It showed respect, diffidence, and who knows he may have forgotten the way to his office from his trip three there three days ago. Moreover, if any more files dropped from the bigger pile Kuroo was in the perfect place to pick them up.

All perfectly acceptable reasons.

It had nothing to do with the fact that walking behind him like this Kuroo had an excellent view. Broad sturdy back. A hint of a tattoo peeking out of his collar that had plagued Kuroo for weeks after he’d first caught sight of it; which had led to some pretty intense wondering about what it was, why he’d gotten it, and what exactly he’d been like in the past. It was almost unanimously accepted by the older students that Sawamura-sensei had an incredible ass and thighs to die for. When he’d stepped in to teach volleyball in gym one day one or two had been injured by high speed balls to busy staring at the school councillor in his athletic clothes.

The jealousy that had caused in Kuroo had been immeasurable. It had been a viper’s bite only cured by his next gym class when he’d been able to see the sight himself.

“So just to double check I’m not going to get an angry visit from your art teacher about why you weren’t in class this afternoon?” It took a couple of seconds for Kuroo to switch from ogling mode to talking mode but seriously it was an amazing view.

“My my, are you really that scared of Ushijima-sensei?”

“I am not afraid of him.” The protest was ignored as Kuroo felt the familiar joy prickle his mind whenever he got the chance to wind someone up. Especially someone as cool and calm as this.

“Don’t blame you to be honest. The man’s a menace with those paint brushes of his and he always looks so serious. Even more than you at times sensei.”

“Should I take that as a compliment?” They reached the second floor and Kuroo hoped the walk towards the office would drag out longer than usual. His heart was doing that stupid annoying flip flop thing it did whenever Sawamura-sensei was in the vicinity and the warmth bubbling up so pleasantly in his stomach had very little to do with his lunch of cold sandwich.

“I only ever say good things about you sensei.” His voice dropped, words that should have been light suddenly started to drip with meaning. Any other student in the school, boy or girl, would be blushing at the tone. Well most of them would be the ones that knew him would be rolling their eyes and tell him he should learn how to flirt properly. 

A laugh was his only response. Not exactly what his poor pining teenage heart had been hoping for.

Everything would be so much simpler if he didn’t like the man. If he didn’t find him fascinating and genuine. If his laugh didn’t resonate with every cell in Kuroo’s body.

If Sawamura didn’t look at Kuroo like he was someone more than just the petty wild child of the school.

Their first meeting remained vivid in his memory.

He’d slumped down on the chair. Pre-conceived ideas and plans all ready to go on how best to annoy the newbie. Expecting to go through the same bland ‘encouraging’ speech as their eyes stared through him not at him. The usual words of ‘really fighting again?’, ‘do you want to have a good future?’, ‘very disappointing’, and the old favourite ‘try harder’.

Instead he’d been faced with his last three tests he’d taken and a dry ‘well I must say I’m impressed’.

Stunned was probably the closest word to how he felt that day, flabbergasted or bamboozled would have sufficed as well, as Daichi Sawamura went through each of the tests explaining what Kuroo had done in each one.

His English exam? All the letters of the words were there just in anagram form.

Maths? The work was all correct just written in the margins in the do not write here part of the paper. His teacher hadn’t bothered to check what he’d written too incensed by where he’d written it in his ‘blatant disregard of order’.

The history one was his personal favourite. Each question was met with a riddle that answered it. Some of them had been pretty imaginative if he was allowed to gloat.

He’d looked up at the sound of shuffling papers, somehow he’d moved out of his casual slump with each word the new guy had said. The councillor had brought out his record and tapped it with his fingers.

“I wonder how much of this is absolute bullshit? And how much is the intelligent boy in front of me trying to show that he doesn’t care?”

Kuroo’s tongue had remained still in his mouth.

That day had been the start. One week after his angry storm out of the office he’d been back; curious, trying to probe the infuriating unflappable man who had waved at him when he’d left in a rage.

Curiosity turned to interest. Which eventually became something more. Honestly it was embarrassing the amount of times he tried to fit himself into the other’s life; volunteering for the simplest tasks, accidental run ins outside of school, and the tried and true method of getting in trouble and setting up a discussion with the school councillor.

Bokuto’s jibes about a lovesick puppy were getting harder to bear with each passing day as his attempts never produced the response he wanted.

The sound of a door opening snapped him out of his thoughts and he realised with a sinking heart that they were already at Sawamura-sensei’s office. Had the hallway gotten shorter in his daze? Had a malevolent god decided to speed up time so that Kuroo didn’t get a chance to speak again?

He took a reluctant step inside just as a thud sounded out. A brand new stack of papers and folders on the desk.

“Thanks for the help Kuroo-kun, that was much quicker than if I’d done this alone.” Kuroo managed a weak grunt as he set his own pile down next to Daichi’s, a smidgen of self-loathing crawling up his spine at how sad he felt about leaving. 

Pathetic really.

“I…I better head to the library. Or at least tell you that so you don’t get in trouble if I’m caught elsewhere.” His smile felt thin, stretched across his skin and it was almost a relief to go. Maybe the next step was to paint the words ‘I like you Sawamura-sensei on his chest’ and run naked through the halls.

He needs to stop talking to Bokuto about his love life, or lack of one.

“Kuroo-kun.”

Earnest. Concerned. No hint of the dry humour and sarcasm which makes Kuroo grin like a giddy idiot. He turned back.

Only to nearly jump out into the hall at how close the other man was to him. A frown in place of the usual patient smile he reached forward and Kuroo’s breath got trapped in his throat as a hand brushed against the bandages on his left arm.

“Little incident with my classmates that’s all.” He forced a pleasant smile, well aware how threatening it could look. “A minor disagreement.”

Brown eyes shone with…something for a moment. A flash of amusement close behind.

“I’m sure you had many disagreements over how middle schoolers should be treated.” Kuroo inhaled sharply. “But I cannot condone fighting Kuroo-san."

“Like I said a minor incident.” It hadn’t been that much of a fight and the gate had done more damage to his hand then anything the three jackasses did.

Sawamura’s fingers tightened on the makeshift bandage sphere Bokuto had encased his hand in. He swore he could feel a tingle even through the heavy layers.

Silence dragged on. Kuroo’s stubbornness rearing its head and keeping him quiet under that penetrating gaze. This was something he could deal with himself.

A sigh.

“I’m sure Bokuto was very enthusiastic about the job but please go to the nurse and get that checked out.”

It may have been phrased like a request but it wasn’t. Kuroo waited for the usual resentment and refusal to swell up inside him. Waited for the rebelliousness which had become as instinctive as breathing, because it had to be, to coat his tongue in bile.

Warm brown eyes. A concern that rang as personal in his ears. Worry.

“Yes sensei.”

Blinding smile. Honest grin.

It wasn’t just Kuroo’s heart which skipped a beat.

**Author's Note:**

> This was done as part of a collab with Chiztec on tumblr. You can see the complete piece with the artwork [here](http://thekurodainetwork.tumblr.com/post/106894250388/a-slightly-late-collab-for-kurodai-day-01-01). Hope you enjoy!


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